Career Switch Pays OffRead Time 11 min

Some people buy a convertible or dye their hair when they have a midlife crisis. Diana Barkow became a teacher.

It’s only a family joke, of course — Barkow’s husband Glen teasingly refers to his wife’s career switch from interior design to education as her “midlife crisis,” but if anything, it’s the exact opposite: a dream long deferred but finally fulfilled.

As a child growing up in Wauwatosa, Barkow had ambitions to become a teacher. The oldest of three, she would “play school” with her younger sisters, mimicking the classroom instruction she had received that day. But in high school, her guidance counselor advised against a career in education.

“She said, ‘There are so many teachers out there, the field is saturated,’” recalled Barkow, who graduated from Wauwatosa East High School in 1979. The counselor instead encouraged Barkow to pursue her love of art, so she took home education classes and settled on interior design, graduating from Mount Mary University in 1983. For 20 years, she had a career in commercial interiors, cutting back to part-time when her children were born and volunteering in their kindergarten classrooms on her days off.

“I absolutely loved it,” said Barkow. “My son’s kindergarten teacher said to me, ‘Why aren’t you a teacher?’ And I laughed and said, ‘Well, I always wanted to be one, but they kind of talked me out of it.’”

It’s never too late, the kindergarten teacher told her.

“She said, ‘I used to be an accountant, and I went back to school to be a teacher. Go back to school and become a teacher,’” Barkow remembered. “I had never even thought of that.”

About a week later, she saw an ad in the community paper for night classes in the education track at Mount Mary, her alma mater. It seemed like a sign. She took the idea to her husband, who told her to go for it. Two years later, Barkow completed her teaching certification and accepted a job teaching first grade at Christ King in Wauwatosa, where she has spent her entire 21-year career (including a 13-year stint teaching second grade).

Beth Mulcahy, a school parent and member of the Christ King School Advisory Council, described Barkow as “a shining example of a Catholic school teacher” who takes a careful, intentional approach to each child’s individual needs.

“Once I came across her reading a young child’s chapter book. I chuckled and asked if it was a good story,” said Mulcahy. “She laughed and said ‘I read all the books in my classroom so I

can ask better questions of the students.’”

Literacy is a particular passion for Barkow, who said her favorite part of teaching is seeing “the light bulb” go off in a young reader’s mind.

“When they get excited, I get excited,” she said, adding that she is always mindful that her students need “someone who believes in them.” One little boy in her class began this year reading Level C books, containing simple sentences, large pictures and fewer lines of text for emerging readers. He asked if he could try a Level M title, which would include longer sentences with multisyllabic and compound words, requiring greater skill and comprehension.

She let him try, but prepared him to be patient if he could not do it. “I said, that’s a pretty big jump, and we haven’t had that much school yet. He goes, ‘Really, I can do it.’ And I said, ‘All right, go get me a Level M book.’ My gosh, he could read it,” she said, the wonder and pride evident in her voice. “I was amazed. I had a little girl last year, same thing — when it started clicking, she could read like the wind.”

Mulcahy praised Barkow’s creativity in engaging her students, connecting their interests back to the subjects they are learning about. When Wordle was a sensation, she used it to practice spelling and phonics at the start of each school day. During March Madness, her students learn about the saints by creating brackets and voting for their favorites. Her social studies unit starts with a walking field trip to a local cafe where students learn about entrepreneurship (and, of course, cookies).

When COVID-19 put a stop to Christ King’s annual Discovery Day, billed as “a field trip without the bus ride,” where guest educators share their expertise on a variety of topics in interactive presentations, Barkow spearheaded the effort to revive the tradition.

“She firmly believes that exposing children to interests and hobbies they may not seek on their own could uncover a skill that guides their life’s direction,” said Mulcahy.

But in Barkow’s classroom, students don’t just learn to read. They learn about Christ and his love for them and about modeling that love to others, said Christ King principal Nicholle Schroeder. “Diana reflects her faith in welcoming all students where they are — including all of their individualism and uniqueness,” said Schroeder, who called Barkow “a servant leader” who “is one of the first teachers to arrive to school every morning and often the last to leave.”

Barkow’s commitment to the students extends beyond the classroom, too; she can often be seen in the stands cheering them on at sporting events or in the audience at fine arts performances, and she is a familiar presence at Sunday Mass, where she is a parish ambassador and extraordinary minister of Holy Communion.

Some students even make a point of attending Christ King’s 10:30 a.m. Sunday Mass, knowing Mrs. Barkow will be there.

“Whatever gets them to church,” she said with a laugh.

Barkow at a Glance

School: Christ King

Years at school: 21

Years as a teacher: 21

Favorite saint: St. Gerard

Hobbies: Cooking, baking, gardening

Favorite food: Pizza

Quote that guides your life: “Every child is someone’s million dollars.”